Such a Strange Creature
by Sally Mn
Summary: An encounter between very different types...


**Such a Strange Creature**

"My friends, my very new, very dear friends..."

The small green-eyed... 'human', we believe it calls itself, is a strange but rather amusing being, we will give it that much. We were fortunate when we landed on this planet that we encountered this creature first. Especially given that xenothropoids are usually far less welcoming, and more easily frightened than this, and that its little group of xenothropoid compatriots - they apparently designate themselves by the odd expression 'Team 7' - are in the area searching for it.

This creature does not seem to be afraid at all, rather delighted at the possibilities it seems to see.

"There is absolutely no necessity for conflict, I assure you. As a good and loyal citizen of this fair planet, I am more than willing to undertake the chore of introducin' your good - if somewhat irregular - selves to the people of our world, for no more recompense than I could arrange myself, ample reward if I do say so myself..."

It called us by the equally odd and cacophonous term 'aliens', and assured our senior translator that it and its associates have nothing against aliens, even and especially (if I have the expression aright, it surely must be extraordinary compliment) 'perambulating putrescent haystacks, no offense meant, I'm sure I do mean that in the nicest possible way."

And these other humans -? Oh yes, we have seen these associates wandering through the strange plants it calls trees while searching for it. Six of the humans seem to be most determined, and leading or rather driving the rest (our little human called it "bullocking, something my esteemed Team Leader is especially skilled at and trust me, my associates will _not_ let anyone leave till they find me, or should I now say find _us_?").

They are all of them very strange, completely unlike _anything_ on our own planets, with their small, thin, dry-skinned bodies, their oh so few eyes and orifices, meager limbs and that strange coloring - neither blue nor grey, unheard of on any world we have been to. And then there is their odd habit of covering up - of course, as our Captain points out, if we looked like that, would we not want to cover too? Our little green-eyed human is covered in dark, soft stuff it calls 'a thousand-dollar suit, another thoroughly despoiled in the line of a duty even Team Leader Larabee could not foresee..."

But we must not be insular, even if they do look so much more odd to us than we possibly can to them...

"But you have no idea what an honor it is, gentleme- gentlefolk, gentlethings, I believe might be the right phrase? - to welcome you to our fair planet. And I do assure you, it will be our pleasure to facilitate your introduction to our race, you can have _no_ conception of how enriching - I'm sorry, I do mean inspiring, it will be to... smooth the path between our species..."

Our senior translator is having difficulty keeping track of the little human's burbling (a pleasant sound, though at least half of what it says is apparently meaningless) and was a little concerned at one stage, at the odd phrase "making a killing" - the translator explained carefully that we were here as peaceful explorers, and that violence of any kind was to be avoided. This seemed to cheer the human even further, and it assured us of its willingness to meet with his compatriots and convince them - "six of the finest... what would your good selves call them, space creatures? - in any case, six of the finest, most gentle and gracious and certainly, unquestionably, categorically _not_ trigger-happy space creatures you could come across on a hundred worlds. Just allow me to chat with them and _inform_ them how trigger-happy they are not first..."

Oh yes, as I said, this little green-eyed human is the most amusing and informative organism we have come across in a prolonged period of time... possibly since we left our beloved world of swamps and mud so long ago. We cannot help but wonder if all of the 'people' of this planet would be as winning, so eager to befriend us, so utterly selfless in doing so.

We will start with it and its associates, we think. A good, round number, just then seven of them...

**-the end-**


End file.
